Are Nature-Based Solutions Now Business-Critical?

In Maramureș, northern Romania, some residents still say a prayer before cutting down a tree. Locals describe the surrounding forest as “like a brother”.

This longstanding relationship with the environment and commitment to stewardship led to the surrounding woodland and the broader Carpathian forest being designated as a UNESCO-protected area. In 2010, the Maramureș forest also received Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification.

An increasing number of businesses that rely on wood and forestry resources are adopting nature-based solutions (NBS) to support sustainability and ensure business continuity.

Forests are more than a source of wood. They are vital ecosystems that support thousands of species and provide food, medicine, fuel, and employment for local communities.

Until recently, critics argued that NBS in business sustainability strategies amounted to greenwashing. Many NBS programmes still lack transparency and verifiability, and are often viewed as offsets rather than genuine emission reductions.

However, in recent years, NBS has become a more viable option for businesses seeking to reduce their environmental impact. If widely trusted, NBS could deliver significant benefits.

“Nature-based solutions offer practical, cross-sectoral solutions—from infrastructure to agriculture—that align climate, biodiversity, and development goals,” writes The World Bank.

“They could provide up to one-third of global mitigation needs and save an estimated US$104bn in adaptation costs by 2030. This approach is particularly critical in low-income countries where additional support is needed to address these multi-dimensional problems.

“Reactive responses to climate change, natural disasters and ecosystem degradation are often more costly when compared to planned adaptation interventions that are responsive to local contexts. Planned interventions are also less likely to cause unintended harm to people or nature.”

Undervalued and underfinanced

Despite its importance, NBS remains underfinanced due to uncertainties and high costs. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), global investments total about US$220bn annually, only one-third of what is needed to meet 2030 climate and biodiversity targets.

“For every dollar invested in protecting nature, US$30 are spent destroying it. In 2023, US$7.3tn flowed into nature-negative activities—from fossil fuel subsidies to investments in high-impact sectors like utilities and energy. Meanwhile, only US$220bn supported NBS, with private finance contributing just US$23bn,” the UNEP's State of Finance for Nature 2026: Nature in the Red: Powering the Trillion Dollar Nature Transition Economy report found earlier this year.

HP’s strategy for nature

For HP, a company rooted in printing and paper, adopting NBS goes beyond carbon accounting and is now a business-critical initiative.

“At HP, because we are one of the world's largest printing companies, we see forests as a part of our business,” explains Jen Huffstetler, CSO at HP

“Protecting them is not only an opportunity for us, but it's also a responsibility. So, we incorporate nature-based solutions throughout the lifecycle in multiple ways.

“The first is with responsibly and sustainably sourced fibres for our HP-branded paper and for all of the paper-based packaging for every one of our solutions, whether it's a PC, a home or office printer, or the supplies or displays that we're sending to our customers.

“We also invest in forest restoration solutions. And this is helping us with our overall climate strategy, but it's also helping our business become more resilient.”

HP has collaborated with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to help conserve over 2,200 square kilometres of forest globally – an area larger than the combined areas of the cities of New York, London and Washington, DC.

Using NBS to meet consumer demand

Consumers are increasingly pressuring corporations to demonstrate genuine environmental responsibility.

This growing awareness is shifting the focus from simply "doing no harm" to actively creating nature-positive practices.

HP’s initiatives are also driven by the need to align business goals with rising consumer demand for responsible, nature-aware manufacturing.

“We actually see consumer expectations increasing over time. And as it relates to nature-based solutions, they're increasingly looking for how companies are taking care of the planet,” Jen says.

HP’s participation in the Forest Forward programme, for instance, explores additional ways to support FSC efforts to increase the volume of certified forest products and raise consumer awareness.

Supplier engagement

However, HP cannot achieve these goals alone and relies on its supply chain to adopt nature-positive practices.

To support this, HP has implemented a scorecard system to identify and address immediate opportunities for sustainability improvement.

“For our overall supply chain, we partner with them to build out a scorecard and a levelling system of what is the first thing they can do on their journey for the climate overall, starting with committing to renewable electricity,” explains Jen.

“I think this idea and this concept of scaling the work that we've done in decarbonisation with the supply chain is a natural step, as biodiversity and improving our landscapes become an ever-increasing important part of the narrative.”

In addition to supporting existing suppliers, HP is seeking new, environmentally conscious partners who are making lasting changes in response to climate challenges.

“When we see suppliers who do have robust sustainability practices, we know that they value it for their business resilience,” she says.

“By working on the landscapes directly, they're able to mitigate flood risk. They're able to work against the increasing climate volatility, and we know that they're invested for the long term.”

Embedding sustainability into business operations

Integrating nature-based solutions into corporate strategy represents a fundamental shift in how manufacturing and nature can be more closely connected.

HP’s commitment to forest restoration and sustainable sourcing demonstrates that sustainability can no longer remain on the sidelines of corporate social responsibility.

Sustainability has become a lever for operational resilience. By treating ecosystems as vital business assets rather than external costs, companies can proactively mitigate risks such as supply chain disruptions, flood damage, and climate volatility that threaten long-term stability.

While the future of a resilient enterprise does not depend solely on combining innovation and nature-based expertise, this approach is increasingly seen as an influential catalyst for change.

This transition requires embedding sustainability throughout the organisation.

Jen says the most effective path forward is for individuals across every corporate function, from procurement and supply chain management to operations, to embed sustainability directly into their own areas.

“The biggest thing I encourage everyone [to do] is to have a domain that you love and bring sustainability to it.

“Because that's how we're going to solve the challenges, when every single function in a corporation, in a school, in the government really understands what they can be doing to lower their impact on the planet.”

HP sustainability goals

HP’s sustainability ambitions extend beyond forests. In 2025, the company met or exceeded most of its sustainability targets for climate and waste reduction, focusing on renewables and recycling.

The Californian company reduced Scope 1 and 2 emissions from global operations by 69% by 2025, compared to 2015 levels.

It reached 66% renewable electricity across its operations and achieved 100% renewable electricity in the US.

HP prioritises the use of recycled materials in manufacturing. For example, its products are shipped in fibre-based packaging derived from recycled or renewable content, and designed to counteract deforestation associated with non-HP paper used in its printing products and print services.

In 2025, 96% of HP home and office printers, desktops, notebooks, displays and workstations contained recycled content.

HP has updated its targets to respond to stakeholder expectations and regulatory requirements. The company aims to reduce value chain emissions by 50% by 2030.

“Sustainability is built into how we innovate and operate, helping organisations grow, creating opportunities for individuals and communities and supporting a more resilient future,” Jen adds.